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Arizonans Can Earn Free, Online Accredited High School Diploma Through Gale Presents: Excel Adult High School

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Arizona Adult Workforce Diploma Program Makes Gale an Approved Facilitator to Help Drive Skills and Workforce Development to Advance Career Growth for Residents

PHOENIX and FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., Aug. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — As students head back to the classroom, Arizona residents 21 and over now have the opportunity to earn their high school diploma through a state-funded adult workforce diploma program. Gale Presents: Excel Adult High School, an accredited online diploma completion program from Gale, part of Cengage Group, is now an approved facilitator for the Arizona Adult Workforce Diploma Program. Excel Adult High School is a free program that’s designed to help busy adults obtain their high school diploma online at their own pace and convenience.

 

Excel High School was a game-changer for me. I finally filled that educational void that had been nagging me for years.

In Arizona, 11.26% of adults do not have a high school diploma. These 650,307 adults are likely to have considerably lower annual earnings of about $9,600, and experience a higher rate of unemployment than those with high school diplomas. Additionally, an estimated 94% of jobs will require a high school diploma by 2031.

The Arizona Workforce Diploma Program was established through House Bill 2866 and aims to assist individuals who are at least 21 years of age earn an accredited high school diploma that helps develop critical employability skills as well as career and technical skills to prepare for employment. The Department of Education administers the program.

“Excel High School was a game-changer for me,” said Dean Cassidy, a recent Arizona Excel Adult High School graduate. “At 42, I finally filled that educational void that had been nagging at me for years. The program was flexible, allowing me to balance my studies with being a stay-at-home dad to our newly adopted 11-year-old son. What surprised me most was how it became a family learning experience. My son would sit next to me, absorbing American history alongside me. It wasn’t just about getting a diploma; it was about setting an example and showing that it’s never too late to pursue education.”

Interested residents can learn more and enroll by visiting the Excel High School webpage. After completing the application process, students will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to start the first course, Health and Fitness. The Health and Fitness course is a short course intended to familiarize students with the program and count towards the 21.5 credit diploma.

On average, students graduate in 8 months, many transferring previously earned high school, GED, HiSET or TASC credits. Upon graduation, students gain an accredited high school diploma, (not an equivalency).

 Gale Presents: Excel Adult High School provides:

21.5-credit curriculum aligned to national standards.
 24/7 online access to self-paced classes on an intuitive platform.
 Academic support from staff who are subject matter experts.
 Courses with built-in tools for ELLs—non-native English speakers have access to course translations in 135 languages.
 40 high-interest electives courses relevant to fast-growing occupations including science, technology and healthcare.
 Success coaches and counselors to help students achieve their education and career goals.
 Previously earned high school, or GED®, HiSET® and TASC credits accepted.

Gale Presents: Excel Adult High School is an award-winning online high school diploma program. Unlike other programs, Excel Adult High School has an academic focus that helps adults not only to receive their diplomas but prepare for what comes next—whether that’s college, a promotion at work or a new career. The intuitive, online platform makes it easy for students to access self-paced courses anytime from anywhere.

Gale is also partnering with 20 Arizona public libraries to ensure those residents who are affected by the digital divide can gain access to this online program. Many public libraries across the state foster digital equity by lending laptops and hotspots. Additionally, patrons can access their library’s free Wi-Fi, workspaces, computer terminals and software, along with programs and classes to help them develop essential technology skills.

“The Arizona Department of Education recognizes that an educated workforce leads to economic growth, where earning a high school diploma can unlock countless educational and career opportunities for individuals,” said Paul Gazzolo, senior vice president and general manager at Gale. “The investments they’ve made in adult learning exemplify their strong commitment, and we’re excited to be an approved facilitator to give more adults in Arizona a second chance at earning their high school diploma and pursuing their dreams.”

Gale will be participating in the Phoenix Public Library’s Educational Resource Expo on Thursday, August 8 at 4:30pm6:30pm in the College Depot Auditorium to answer any questions about the Arizona Workforce Diploma Program and to enroll interested students. Registration is required.

To learn more or sign up for Gale Presents: Excel Adult High School through the Arizona Workforce Diploma Program visit the Excel High School webpage.

About Cengage Group and Gale
Cengage Group, an education technology company serving millions of learners in 165 countries, advances the way students learn through quality, digital experiences. The company currently serves the K-12, higher education, professional, library, English language teaching and workforce training markets worldwide. Gale, part of Cengage Group, provides libraries with original and curated content, as well as the modern research tools and technology that are crucial in connecting libraries to learning, and learners to libraries. For more than 65 years, Gale has partnered with libraries around the world to empower the discovery of knowledge and insights – where, when and how people need it. Gale has 500 employees globally with its main operations in Farmington Hills, Michigan. For more information, please visit www.gale.com.

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Media Contact:
Kayla Siefker, Gale, part of Cengage Group
248-378-3376
kayla.siefker@cengage.com

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SOURCE Gale, part of Cengage Group

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FULTON FINANCIAL CORPORATION APPOINTS DAVID S. SCHULZ TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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LANCASTER, Pa., July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Fulton Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: FULT) (“Fulton”) today announced the appointment of David S. Schulz as a member of its board of directors (the “Board”) for a term commencing September 14, 2026 and expiring at Fulton’s 2027 annual meeting of shareholders.

“We’re excited to welcome Dave to Fulton’s board of directors,” said Curt Myers, Fulton Chairman, CEO, and President. “Dave brings extensive financial leadership experience gained through more than a decade of service with publicly traded companies. His expertise in finance, strategic planning, risk, and mergers and acquisitions will provide valuable perspective as we continue to execute our growth strategy and create long-term value for our shareholders, customers and communities.”

With the addition of Schulz, Fulton’s Board will have 11 members, and he will serve on the Audit and Risk committees. Schulz has also been appointed to the board of directors of Fulton’s banking subsidiary, Fulton Bank, N.A.

Schulz served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Wesco International, Inc. (“Wesco”) from 2016 to June 2020, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Wesco from June 2020 to February 2026 and as Executive Vice President and Special Advisor to the CEO of Wesco from February 2026 until his retirement on May 31, 2026. 

Prior to joining Wesco, Schulz served as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Armstrong Flooring, Inc. and was previously Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Armstrong World Industries, Inc. and Vice President of Finance of the Armstrong Building Products division.

Before joining Armstrong World Industries in 2011, he held various financial leadership roles with Procter & Gamble and The J.M. Smucker Company. He was also an officer in the United States Marine Corps.

In 2025, Schulz joined the board of Sterling Infrastructure, Inc., and he was appointed as chair of the audit committee in 2026. He also serves on the company’s compensation and talent development committee.

ABOUT FULTON FINANCIAL CORPORATION

Fulton, a $34 billion Lancaster, Pa.-based financial holding company, has more than 3,400 employees and operates more than 215 financial centers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia through Fulton Bank, N.A. Additional information on Fulton can be found at https://investor.fultonbank.com.

Contact: Steve Trapnell
717-291-2739

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SOURCE Fulton Financial Corporation

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Octavio Marquez Elected to MSA Safety Board of Directors

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PITTSBURGH, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Board of Directors of MSA Safety Inc. (NYSE: MSA), a global leader in the development of advanced industrial safety technology products and solutions, today announced that Octavio Marquez, president and chief executive officer of Diebold Nixdorf, has been elected to the company’s Board of Directors. His election was part of the MSA Board’s regular succession plans.

“We are very pleased to have the opportunity to add Octavio to the MSA Board,” said Robert A. Bruggeworth, MSA chairman. “He brings a broad range of executive leadership experience, including strategy development, capital allocation, business transformation and serving international markets, which will serve MSA well.”

“Octavio’s perspectives will be an asset to me and our entire Executive Leadership Team,” said Steven C. Blanco, MSA president and CEO. “It is a pleasure to welcome Octavio to MSA, and I look forward to working with him.”

Mr. Marquez joined Diebold Nixdorf in 2014 and has held senior leadership roles across the company’s Global Banking organization and its Americas region, including as executive vice president of Global Banking and senior vice president of the Americas. Before joining Diebold Nixdorf, Mr. Marquez held leadership positions at Dell EMC, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM and NCR.

Diebold Nixdorf automates, digitizes and transforms the way people bank and shop. As a partner to the majority of the world’s top 100 financial institutions and top 25 global retailers, its integrated solutions connect digital and physical channels conveniently, securely and efficiently for millions of customers every day. Headquartered in North Canton, Ohio, Diebold Nixdorf employs approximately 20,000 employees globally, supporting more than 100 countries.

Mr. Marquez holds a degree in business and finance from Universidad Iberoamericana and has completed executive education programs at MIT Sloan, The Wharton School and The University of Texas at Austin.

About MSA Safety

MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE: MSA) is the global leader in advanced industrial safety technology products and solutions. Driven by its singular mission of safety, the company has been at the forefront of safety innovation since 1914, protecting workers and facility infrastructure around the world across a broad range of diverse end markets while creating sustainable value for shareholders. With 2025 revenues of $1.9 billion, MSA Safety is headquartered in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, and employs a team of approximately 5,300 associates across its more than 40 international locations. For more information, please visit www.MSASafety.com.

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SOURCE MSA Safety

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BlueFolder Field Service Software Launches New AI-Powered Features to Transform How Teams Work

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New AI capabilities instantly surface customer insights and transform technician notes into actionable summaries to help field service teams work faster, stay aligned, and deliver better service

AUBURN, Ala., July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — BlueFolder field service software recently announced the launch of two powerful new AI features: AI-Powered Customer Summaries and AI-Powered Field Notes Summarization. Together, these capabilities are designed to eliminate the time-consuming, manual work of reviewing fragmented customer records and lengthy technician notes—giving field service teams instant clarity to respond faster, make smarter decisions, and deliver exceptional service.

BlueFolder expands it’s field service and work order management suite with two exciting new AI field service features.

Built directly into the BlueFolder platform, both features leverage artificial intelligence to automatically compile and summarize complex, unstructured data into clear, easy-to-read overviews. The result: technicians, dispatchers, and managers always have the context they need, right when they need it.

AI-Powered Customer Summaries

As field service organizations grow, customer information becomes increasingly scattered across emails, service request logs, and communication histories. BlueFolder’s AI Customer Summary feature addresses this challenge head-on by consolidating those interactions into a single, actionable snapshot.

Instead of manually digging through multiple records before a service call or customer interaction, teams can now access a real-time summary highlighting key concerns, past service activity, and recent updates. The feature goes beyond basic summarization and surfaces critical business insights such as equipment past due for maintenance, approaching warranty expirations, and proactive revenue opportunities, empowering teams to recommend follow-ups or upgrades directly from the customer record.

Built-in traceability links each summary back to its original source communications, so users can validate insights with confidence, ensuring both speed and accuracy in every customer interaction.

AI-Powered Field Notes Summarization

In many service organizations, technicians log updates across multiple visits, often resulting in long, fragmented notes that are difficult to review at a glance. BlueFolder’s AI Field Notes Summarization feature solves this by automatically condensing multiple technician entries into a structured summary that highlights key milestones, actions taken, and next steps.

Rather than scrolling through pages of updates, managers and dispatchers can immediately understand job status and determine what needs to happen next, improving alignment between field and office teams, accelerating decision-making, and reducing miscommunication. The feature is especially valuable for complex or multi-day jobs, where clear continuity and smooth technician handoffs are critical to delivering consistent service. It’s another featuring making BlueFolder’s work order management software capabilities stronger every day.

“History is one of the most powerful tools a service team has — the problem is it’s usually buried. BlueFolder’s new AI features fix that. Your team walks into every interaction already knowing the customer, knowing the equipment, and exactly where things stand. That changes the entire experience,” says John Shaw, VP, Technology, Service Operations.

AI as a Core Part of the BlueFolder Platform

The launch of these two features reflects BlueFolder’s broader commitment to embedding AI throughout its field service management software as an integrated layer of intelligence that makes every workflow smarter. Rather than requiring teams to change how they work, BlueFolder’s AI capabilities are designed to surface the right information at the right moment automatically, within the tools that technicians, dispatchers, and managers already use every day.

“AI is transforming what’s possible in field service, and BlueFolder is answering that call. These features are the result of deep platform expertise and a clear vision for where the industry is headed. We’re embedding intelligence throughout the platform because we know it makes our customers more competitive, more efficient, and better positioned to grow,” says Stephen Myslicki, Group President of Field Services.

Availability

Both AI-Powered Customer Summaries and AI-Powered Field Notes Summarization are available now to BlueFolder customers as optional, easy-to-enable features within the platform. They are part of BlueFolder’s growing suite of AI-driven capabilities designed to help field service organizations operate more efficiently and scale with confidence.

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SOURCE BlueFolder

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